Trousers stretcher and creaser lock



Jan. 23, 1962 J. FREI ETAL TROUSERS STRETCHER AND CREASER LOCK Filed Oct. 5, 1959 Jo/m Frei Carl E Haase INVENTORS. 40%

rates Patent Patented Jan. 23, 1%62 3,018,122 TROUSERS STRETCHER AND CREASER LOCK John Frei, Lake Geneva, and Carl F. Haase, Pall Lake, Wis, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Ekco Products (Iompany Filed Oct. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 844,500 2 Claims. (Cl. 287-58) The present invention relates to readily insertible and removable extensible and contractible garment forms, broadly speaking, and has reference, more particularly, to stretchers and creasers for trousers legs and coat sleeves shown for example in the Henderson patent of February 8, 1949, issued under No. 2,461,381, As is evident from the discloseure in the Henderson patent the elongated U-shaped sections have overlapping limbs or arms at their respective ends which are not only extensibly adjustable but are provided with spring-loaded keys or friction locks.

Persons conversant with advancing improvements in this particular field of endeavor are well aware of the fact that distinguishing differences almost invariably pertain to so-called rod couplings and joints, more specifically,

to friction-type latching keys, locking cleats and the like.

As will be hereinafter evident the instant invention has to do with a novel spring-loaded double-friction-gripping cleat broadly similar to the single slotted friction-held locking key in the Eberhardt Patent, 2,294,967. This is to say that the present invention is directed to an appreciable structural improvement on the springless rod joint locking key in the Eberhardt patent; in fact, any similarly constructed and performing prior art friction-gripping lock.

Brief reference to the drawing will therefore reveal an improved extensible rod joint with coupling sleeves or ferrules and an outstanding distinguishably new friction lock. More explicitly, the subject matter covers a first linearly straight rod member having a sleeve-like coupling fixed at an end portion thereof, a second comp-anion rod member similar to said first rod member and having a linearly straight body portion passing slidingly through said coupling and overlapping and slidingly contacting a portion of said first bar member, a straight end coplanar with the body portion and provided with a sleeve-like coupling corresponding to and aligned with the first coupling and embracing and slidinglysupporting the embraced portion of said first bar member, that portion of the second bar member between said straight end portion and adjacent body portion being bent in a predetermined manner, and a manually actuatable friction-type retaining cleat having distinguishabl end portions, each end portion having a slot, said first bar member passing through one slot, and the bent portion of said second bar member passing through the other slot.

The aforementioned bent portion which i arched away from the cooperating portion of the first named rod is characterized by a compound bend one bend or bent portion being arcuately bowed or curved and the other bent portion somewhat straighter and in proximity to the stated rod member.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of one end portion (fragmentarily shown) of a trousers stretcher and creaser frame or form showing the improved friction locking cleat for the slidingly connected overlapping rod or bar member;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the structure seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view detailing the essence of the invention; namely, the double -slotted friction-gripping and locking cleat, the same being shown locked in full lines and unlocked in dotted lines;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

By way of introduction to the description of the details it will be understood that the usually elongated or complete frame is not shown. In other words, only one end portion, let us say, the bottom is shown in order to conserve space and to simplify the disclosure and to emphasize that the essence of the invention is in the doubleacting friction-type spring-loaded manually releasable locking cleat. One section to the left is denoted at A and the other one at B. Actually the portions 6 and 7 are not involved. In other words, the bar members or rods as they are sometimes called are referred to by the numerals 8 and 10. The aforementioned first bar member is denoted by the numeral 8 and it has an end portion 12 terminating in a coupling sleeve 14 which is fixed in place in any suitable manner. This sleeve is also sometimes referred to as a thimble, coupling and perhaps even a ferrule. A similar coplanar axially aligned coupling sleeve 16 is provided on a terminal end portion 18 of the second bar member 10. A body portion 20 of the bar or rod member 10 is slidingly sheathed in the coupling sleeve 14 while the sleeve 16 slidingly embraces the corresponding body portion 22 of the rod member 8. Thus the overlapping portions are slidingly coupled. The junctional portion of the part 10 between the body portion 20 and the terminal portion 18 is fashioned into a duplex or compound bend. One arcuately shaped bent portion or bend 24 is arched away fro-m the body portion of the part or rod 8. The somewhat straight bend 26 is closer to the bar member and substantially parallel and has a junctional connection with the end portion 18 as at 28 providing a shoulder for one end of the lightweight coil spring 30. This coil spring surrounds the bent portion 26 and the bent portion 26 where it joins the curvilinear or arcuate bend provides another shoulder which is denoted at 32 in FIG. 3. These shouldered bent portions serve to accommodate the spring and also the unique plate-like cleat 34. This cleat comprises a somewhat familiar small rigid metal plate having one end portion 36 provided with a rectangular slot and an oblique angled portion 38 provided with a slot 40. The slot 40 serves to accommodate the rod or bar member 8 and the edges 42 and 43 are situated to bite and friction-grip the flat surfaces of 8 or the portion 22 thereof in an obvious manner, as shown for example in FIG. 3. The corresponding edges 44 and 45 of the slot 46 cooperate with the bent portions 26 and 24, the spring acting to press the slotted portion 36 against the shoulder 32. The spring loaded lock position of this locking cleat is shown in FIG. 3 wherein the two slots provide the desired double acting friction-gripping results. The spring 30 is sufiiciently light that it exerts the desired degree of pressure needed and yet does not interfere with finger pressure which is used to effect a release action which is indicated. in dotted lines to the left in FIG. 3.

All sorts of friction type cant-action keys and locks and latches have been experimented with. Nothing is as satisfactory, as far as it has been ascertained, as the twin slotted cleat properly spring loaded and cooperating with the bent portions 26 and 24 of the compound bend seen in FIG. 3.

One of the chief difficulties with insertible and removable sectional expansible type forms for stretching and creasing resides in the means employed which makes for rapid adjustment needs and also for a quick release action. The construction herein shown and described has been made and worked successfully and is believed to be a definite advance in the art.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In an extensible coupled-rod retainer-held construction; a first linearly straight rod member having a sleevelike coupling fixed at an end portion thereof, a second companion rod member similar to said first rod member and having a linearly straight body portion passing slidingly through said coupling and overlapping and slidingly contacting a portion of said first bar member, a straight end coplanar with the body portion and provided with a sleeve-like coupling corresponding to and aligned with the first coupling and embracing and slidingly supporting the embraced portion of said first bar member, said body portion and end portion of the second bar member being separated by an area offset away from said first bar member to define first and second bridge portions, said first bridge portion being abruptly closer to the first bar member than said second bridge portion to define a shoulder between said first and second bridge portions, a locking key having a first wing and an opening in said first wing in which said first bridge portion of the second bar member is passed, said key having a second wing and an opening in said second wing for receiving the section of said first bar member opposite said bridge portions of the second bar member, said openings in the wings of the key being of such size as to allow the locking member to have canting movement about the edge of the opening in the first wing of the locking key as fulcrum between a first position wherein the first bar member has binding engagement with the edges of the opening in the second wing and thereby locked against sliding movement in one direction relative to the second bar member, and a second position wherein the first bar member is free to slide in said opening in the second Wing of the key, and a spring coiled about the first bridge portion of the second bar member with which the first wing of the key is engaged and yieldably urged against the shoulder between said first and second bridge portions of the second bar member to normally bias said key toward said first position.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein said second wing of the locking key is arranged in angular relation to the first wing so as to assume a position substantially perpendicular to said first bar member when the latter is free to slide relative to the second bar member via the opening in said second wing of the locking key.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,456,054 Eberhardt Dec. 14, 1948 2,461,381 Henderson Feb. 8, 1949 2,504,188 Eberhardt Apr. 18, 1950 

